


Bucky’s Cake and Bake

by CaptainKittah



Category: Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Artist Steve Rogers, Baker Bucky Barnes, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-13 17:52:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14753522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainKittah/pseuds/CaptainKittah
Summary: Steve Rogers is a freelance artist that is hopelessly forgetful, and runs into a bakery that happens to feature the man of his dreams, James Buchanan Barnes. Over time, he learns that it’s a nice reminder that bakeries aren’t just the only sweet treat he likes.





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> This is a modern au because after infinity war everyone has been suffering so, here we are! :)

Bucky’s Cake and Bake was the simplest of bakeries that could be found in all of New York. Across the crowded streets, it stood, with a white rim across the giant window that displayed the pastries that had everyone lining up past four or five blocks. It was Steve’s favorite bakery whenever he got the downtime to go, if he wasn’t working on commissions to keep up the rent in his small apartment.

The store was owned by two people. James Buchanan Barnes; a single, wealthy man in his mid to late twenties, using his money from the Army after his two tours and an honorable discharge to open it. Natalia Alianovna Romanoff, better known as Natasha, was his partner in crime, having been a spy in her past years. She’s terrifying, but according to James, the best person to count on in any situation.

Steve was well familiar with this business, ever since he ran into it in one of his late night runs to the grocery store after he realized he had nothing in the fridge.

-~-~-~

Opening the door, Steve heard the little chime of the bell and immediately smelled probably the best apple pie that’s been made ever since his ma had died. His mouth was already watering, and although they had little sandwiches that were offered that could also be baked for a nice, crispy lunch or dinner, Steve’s mind was set on the apple pie that had been fresh out of the oven. Stepping up to the counter, he rang the bell twice before looking around and appreciating the homely bakery.

It was clean, pristine. The outside was cream with pink lettering, but the inside was almost the complete opposite, a smoky, dark wood that filled it and a fireplace that made it seem like he was back out in the days where he’d sit next to the fire and watch the flames crackle until it got too late to stay outside. It was nice, and he wasn’t doubting why there were so many people crowding to get a taste of the pastries here if it smelled this heavenly every single time.

Distracted in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the handsome baker make his way to the counter, a smirk on his stubbled face as he tapped his fingers on the counter.

“Can I help you?” He asks, voice smooth and lilted slightly with an accent that sounded a tiny bit Brooklyn, unless Steve was just dreaming. Of a perfect man, standing right there.

“Yeah, you can by giving me your number.” Steve grins, leaning in for a cheeky delivery, until James leans as well and oh- his hand is cupping his cheek and he could just draw the dimples that appear when he smiles over and over again and-

He’s knocked out of the tiny daydream as soon as he realizes James has been standing there for entirely too long. Yet the man doesn’t look irritated or bothered, just stands patiently with kind eyes.

“I heard this place was good for pastries,” Steve shoves his hands into his pockets, flush spreading across his cheeks and making his ears turn pink. “I forgot to pick up groceries and I smelled some apple pie, and I was hoping there was some of that so I could buy it and—“ He pauses as soon as he realizes James is shaking, worried that he made the man cry with his entirely stiff demeanor, and relaxes when he realizes it’s of laughter as soon as James tips his head up with a smile.

“You’re a cute one, aren’t you?” James purrs, before turning on his heel and throwing a finger into the air. “Let me get it out of the oven, it’ll be done in just a moment.”

Steve nods. And waits. He realizes that he could be sitting, so he pulls a chair out, wincing at the shriek against the floor, knowing he scraped it too hard against it. He sits, thinking about the curve of James’ jaw and how at ease his entire demeanor is, shoulders relaxed. It’d be easy to see him draped across a chair, cigarette in hand, and he wonders if he’d actually seen him like that before.

“Here you go,” James’ voice travels, until Steve realizes with a jolt that he sets the plate down in front of him. “I hope you enjoy it, it’s a fan favorite for the Fourth of July, and since that’s coming up soon, we make a ton just in case.”

“Have I seen you before?” Steve asks, squinting at his face. “I feel like I’ve seen you before.” He sits for a moment, then opens his mouth to take it back, before James grins and pats his back.

“You saw me moments ago, when I was getting your pie.” James snarks easily, brushing his hair out of the way. “But yes, I was a model for a few years for this big agency. Had a magazine cover, the whole shebang— I didn’t realize it got that big after I left.”

“Minutes ago,” Steve mutters, finding himself smiling at the snark. “I thought you looked familiar. You’re definitely handsome enough to be a model.” Foot in mouth, danger, Steve keeps his mouth shut afterwards as he turns pink, but James seems to think it over and smiles instead.

“I like you.” He says simply, pulling up a chair next to Steve. “Name’s James Barnes, but my friends call me Bucky.”

“Steve Rogers,” Steve shakes the outstretched hand, before giving a confident smile. “But my friends usually get to know me before they call me.”

James’ face goes blank. Steve worries he messed it up, before James starts laughing and he could find himself laughing as well. 

“That was terrible,” James laughs, wiping at his eyes with his right hand. “But if you were trying to ask for my phone number, you got it. So long as you come back for apple pie on the Fourth, you got yourself a deal.”

“Coming back and getting your number? That’s a jackpot, Buck, however will I find a better deal?” Steve feels comfortable, easy around James, and realizes that he hasn’t even bitten into the pie. When he does, he groans, loud and unashamed, before looking at James directly in the eyes and murmuring,

“I think I just want the pie, fuck your number.”

He lost track of how many times James has laughed during this, but he feels proud every time his new friend does so. He realizes it’s getting late, so he slides the pie away, gives James a smirk, and wishes him goodnight and guarantees that he’ll be back tomorrow.

As he walks away, James sighs and smiles at his partner in the backroom, Natalia, and wills the blush on his cheeks to go away.

“That was the most flirting you’ve done in years, James,” Natalia hums, brushing the flour off of the counter and hopping on it. “You find him cute, so why don’t you get to know him so you can... what was it? Call him?”

“I knew it was a bad idea for you to stay late with me,” James groans, but he slides his hand on her knee and grins at her. “But no matter how much you make fun of me, I appreciate the support.”

“Don’t get sappy on me, Barnes,” Natalia brushes his hand off, but she smiles anyway. “Come on, we have to get this closed.”

They spend the rest of the night closing, and James can’t help but think of the cute blond that walked in so late. There was something about him— he just wanted to be able to get to know him better. He was sure to come back, and as James and Natalia walked out side by side, he couldn’t help but be excited to hear that Steve would be a regular customer in the later days.


	2. Progression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve returns after a short break, they both dream of each other, and it gets a little heated for both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi this turned a little more explicit than I thought so cheers, rating is now higher.

Steve didn’t return until 7:35 PM on July 4th. James was increasingly worried- although they had hung out on days in between, eating Chinese food and laughing together, the blond had disappeared for a while. He felt the glaring gaze of Natalia at the door when she realized that he was waiting for Steve, wanting her friend to only have the best, and not someone who would cancel on him when he’d made a promise.

As soon as the blond hair popped through the doorway, James felt his shoulders relax, until he saw the bruise forming underneath his left eye and the marks over his arms that were valiantly attempted to be covered by a jacket he was pulling on.

“Steve!” James breathed, hopping the counter and pressing his hand against the bruise very lightly. “What happened to you?”

“I kept my promise,” Steve murmured, leaning into the touch with a smile. “I told you I’d be here on the Fourth, can I have your number now?”

“You went through hell and back and you just want my number?” James takes his hand away with a blush as soon as he realized how long he’d had it there. “You’re truly something, Rogers.”

“I have a habit of doing that, I guess,” Steve shrugs. “Can I have some apple pie?” He pulls the chair out, sitting down and biting his lip as soon as he looks up at James.

“You can as soon as you explain to me why you missed out on our movie night.” James mutters, walking to the counter and yanking up the first aid kit he keeps underneath there, just in case. He grabs a bandage, as well as a slice of pie that Natalia not-so-subtly slid over to him with a firm nod of her head, approving.

Steve looks at James with wide, doe eyes, his cheeks flushed as he realizes exactly how much of an impact James had already made in his life. He could imagine the nights they spent together already, curled on the couch and hearing James laugh at The Goonies, and blush when Steve points out how nerdy he gets over documentaries. He wants to spend more and more time with him, and that became a dangerous thought, before James motions to Natalia that it was time to close up shop and he’s back at Steve’s side with his smile waning as soon as he sees the far off look in Steve’s eyes.

“You had a date or something?” James looks hurt for a brief moment, before he bandages Steve’s hands that he hadn’t realized had broken out into bleeding sores. “Then get mugged? Leave it to you to have the worst luck.”

“I would only get mugged if that person jumped on me and screamed out random science facts,” Steve rolls his eyes with a smirk. “Like how you did when you talked about how RNA was the first self-replicating model and whatsit.”

James couldn’t help the sigh of relief with the banter, pressing hard on the bandage to stop the bleeding. “It was necessary knowledge,” He says, mock hurt. “You need to know how important RNA is, otherwise—“

“—We wouldn’t have DNA, I get it,” Steve snorts, leaning back in the chair and watching James’ movements carefully. “And if I had a date, it would be with someone cute. Who can bake. And gives me their phone number.” He gestures to James with a cute flush on his cheeks, before taking his fork and stabbing the apple pie with an intensity that couldn’t be matched elsewhere. James could feel his own face heating up, but he smiled, leaning towards Steve and brushing a soft kiss on his cheek.

“Maybe if you’re lucky,” James purrs. “And you don’t skip our next movie night tomorrow, you can get that date you want.” He looks thoughtful for a moment, before he pulls a piece of paper out of his apron and hands it to Steve before disappearing inside of the backroom.

James looked nice today, Steve thinks. He hasn’t been able to take the time to appreciate his friend in a while, and he realizes that he should’ve explained his sudden absence. Clearing his throat, he takes out his phone and adjusts the aid in his ear, blinking as his contacts unfocus for a second as he realizes he’d been choking back tears. They came suddenly, an overwhelming rush of emotion as he thinks about the good things that he’s had with James, and realizing that if he hadn’t come in, so many other things could have happened. He sniffs, visibly clearing his mind, before knocking back the last piece of pie and standing.

“Bucky?” He calls, standing and walking over to the door as he can hear Natalia and James shuffling in the room. “I got into a fight, that’s how this happened. I also wanted to tell you that, well—“

Steve’s stopped from finishing his sentence as soon as he gets an armful of James, apronless and covered in leftover flour.

“It doesn’t matter, Rogers,” James sighs. “I’ve been waiting to do this but Nat’s been in the backroom cleaning up for a while so I wanted to help out first. Steve, I care about you a lot, and yes I would like to go on a date with you. Wear your best dress clothes, because I’m taking you to Hilltop Restaurant.”

Steve blinks. And then blinks again. He checks his hearing aid to make sure it’s turned up and that he’s heard right, before squinting at James to see if this was just a joke.

“I’m serious,” James says impatiently, running his hands through his trussed up hair. “And if you don’t get out of my store soon I’ll have to call security and say my date’s got to have a raincheck, since he’d been scared into shock with how scary she is. C’mon, Rogers, go. Tomorrow, Six o’ clock, Hilltop Restaurant. I’ll meet you there, reservation’s under Barnes.”

Steve nods, speechless, before he presses a kiss to James’ stubbled cheek and smiles, bright and breathtaking.

“I’ll be there,” He promises, looking young and free and everything James has always wanted. “Six o’ clock.” Steve bounds out of the bakery, before Natalia comes out of the backroom, a perfectly manicured eyebrow raised and a look of pure smugness radiating off of her face.

“Are we ever going to talk about how bad you are at this?” She asks, brushing James’ hair out of the way before she settles on sitting next to him on the counter that he hadn’t realized he’d hopped up on. “Or are we going to pretend that you haven’t been secretly falling for him as soon as he fed you that piece of orange chicken and you’d texted me about it later that night, drunk and unfiltered. Sam and I had been on a date, thank you.”

“Sam’s still with you, ain’t he?” James snarks, before biting at a piece of bread she tosses at him. “I like Steve, a lot, and I want to know more about how he likes to draw, and how he used to stuff newspapers in his shoes. He has a hearing aid, too, I’ve seen it, and he squints when he’s got his contacts in. He’s adorable.”

“And completely on market, unless you become too afraid to make any further moves. James, ask him out again before someone else can. That girl, Sharon you told me about? She’s interested. And I know you know that with how often you two hang around each other. She has his number, she texts him, stop being afraid and move.”

“When’d you get so good at advice, Natalia?” James teases, pinching her cheek and laughing at the glare she gives him in return. “I asked him out, relax, Hilltop Restaurant dinner tomorrow at six.”

“Sam and I will see you there,” Natalia hums, taking out her cell phone and texting her boyfriend. “We’ll be your moral support. Don’t mess it up, Barnes.”

James shoos her out of the bakery, turning the sign to closed and clicking off the lights. He’s thrumming with energy as he locks the place, making sure Natalia gets into her car safely, before heading into his own and driving off to his apartment.

He can’t help but think, as he arrives and unlocks the door, plopping onto his bed as soon as possible, about how he and Steve will get along as romantic partners. Will Steve be as snarky and sassy as he is now? Would he be gentle and sweet?

Glancing down at himself, James sighs as he realizes another part of him is interested in these as well, closing his eyes with a groan as the sounds that Steve makes in the back of his throat as he tastes a pastry Bucky made gets caught on replay in his mind. Biting his lip, James shimmies out of his work pants and boxers, grasping himself and rubbing his thumb over the tip of his cock, closing his eyes and moaning softly as he drives his nail into the underside of it. He jerks himself off quickly, trying to be as quiet as possible, before he spills into his hand with a gasp and a vision of reddened lips and bright blue eyes staring him down as he swallows his release. James closes his eyes, wiping off his hand and drifts off into a deep sleep, smiling as he waits for tomorrow.

Steve, asleep after having done the same as James, curls into himself as he dreams of brown hair and a cocky smirk, floating into an abyss of emotions.


	3. Reckless and Selfless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve gets himself into trouble, the date is off, and both of them realize something that had been happening all along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m terrible at pacing i’m so sorry
> 
> still @buckaroobbarnes is where you can find me
> 
> please dont kill me for the angst lol

Morning came, and James found it increasingly hard to get out of bed. Tossing the white sheets to the side, he blinked twice to get his bleary vision to work with him, and thought over the placement of his room. The last time Steve was over, the couch was brown and riddled with blankets because of James always being too cold to function, as the heat was off in his apartment. This time, however, those blankets were tumbling in the machine and he only had his hand-knitted throw blanket from his sister for his birthday. He wondered if Steve would mind spending a few moments on the couch after the restaurant, watching more documentaries about the genetic material and how it was formed.

He jumped out of his thoughts as his ringtone started playing, Beethoven’s Für Elise filling the space, and he reached over to find the set of clothes that he had forgotten he had laid out the day before as he answered the call.

“Natalia?” He murmured sluggishly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with one hand. “Is it котенок again? You know that cat and I have a long history, and we’ve been through so much together but I don’t want her hair—“

“—It’s not about that, James,” Natalia sighs, voice tinny and yet still noticeably strung with worry. “Sam’s with Steve. There was an accident, wherein Steve got hit almost head on by a car. He’ll be fine, just a few broken bones, but needless to say I don’t think he’ll be released anytime soon for your reservation.”

James’ heart stopped. He couldn’t breathe. The words ‘Steve’ and ‘car accident’ replayed in his mind, and he swallowed hard, choking back the fear in his voice.

“I’ll be right over. Can you handle the shop today? I- I gotta see him, Nat, I do.” James frowns, pulling on his work shirt and buttoning it up as fast as he possibly could with his free hand. He wondered how attached he got to Steve, could feel the flutters in his chest as soon as he remembers that shy smile that’s been coming over for weeks now, and he bit his lip as he realized exactly how far gone he’s getting with this man.

“Of course I can handle the shop,” Natalia said, relieved. “He won’t stop calling for you, his head isn’t injured at least, that’s for sure.”

“I’ll see you later, Natalia,” James mumbles, feeling a blush come to his cheeks despite the circumstances. He sighs, pulling on his pants and grabbing his keys to drive over to the hospital.

All the way through, James couldn’t stop drumming his fingers on the wheel, until he was able to burst into the hospital after parking and running up three flights of stairs. He looked frantic, he knew, but he walked up to the receptionist as calmly as possible, aware of the fact it was Sharon and spoke as nicely as possible.

“I’m here to see Steve. Uh, Steve Rogers,” James looks at her, squinting. “I’m his boyfriend. Uh, soon to be fiancé, so I think I’m family enough to be allowed in.”

“Sure,” Sharon looks at him with a smile, and he feels bad for the immediate unsettling in his stomach that had happened when he first looked at her. “He’s in room 305, please be quiet and don’t tell them I told you.”

“Thanks, Sharon,” James murmurs, reaching out and squeezing her hand as he passed her by. As soon as he got to room 305, he took a deep breath and opened the door.

“Steve,” He breathes, looking in awe at the dark bruises purpling over Steve’s skin. He wanted to kiss them better, he realized, all of these weeks, the months, they all lead up to this. It’s been exactly six months since their first encounter, and James Buchanan Barnes is totally and completely enamored with Steven Grant Rogers. “You fuckin’ dolt, how’d you get into this mess in the first place?”

“My fiancé’s worried about me?” Steve mutters weakly, coughing out a laugh as best as he could. “Yeah, Sharon texted me about that, don’t be so surprised. If you’d wanted me to propose, you could’ve let me go on this date and many, many more.”

“Even if we haven’t been dating,” James sighs, sitting down next to Steve and wincing at seeing the casts on his right arm and left leg. “I know that you’re the person I want to be dating. We basically have been, with how much time we’ve spent with each other flirting and the kissing when we played it off as just friendly.”

“Fair point,” Steve hums, tilting his head up and trying to be careful not to split his lip open again. “Here’s what happened. I was on the way to your bakery, and well, someone was walking across the street and a driver wasn’t looking so I—“

“Pushed them out of the way?” James sighs, leaning forward to press his cheek against Steve’s collarbone. “You’re a reckless dolt, but I like you nonetheless. We’re starting this over, you’re going to take me out on a proper date and we’re going to pretend I didn’t call myself your fiancé until we talk about it in the future, for real. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” Steve smirks, raising an eyebrow and licking his lips at the sudden dryness in his throat. He wanted to lighten the mood, he wanted to make James laugh instead of seeing his forehead crease with worry. “However, I know a good pizza place that can deliver, so why not just order in and we can have our date here?”

James smiles. It’s a slow smile, spreading over his face and brightening it up, making him look like literal sunshine and Steve could swear he felt his heart stop at how breathtaking that was.

“I’ll cancel Hilltop then,” James hums, pulling out his phone and settling beside Steve on his bed, getting comfortable even with the sheets scratching at the hair on his arms. “We’re getting stuffed crust pizza though, with pepperoni.”

“Yes boss,” Steve snorts, before pulling at Bucky’s shirt with his good hand and wincing as he sat up with his bruised ribs. He takes a deep breath before he kisses Bucky, warm and smooth, mouth pliant and open so Bucky takes that opportunity to slip his tongue in, before biting Steve’s lip as he pulls back.

“You’re not getting out of that proper date,” Bucky smiles, and Steve realizes that instead of James, Bucky’s always been Bucky. It’s warm, personal, and Steve can feel himself smiling as he pulls Bucky into another kiss.

“I’m not trying to.” Steve murmurs, rolling his eyes. “I just want to kiss on my fella for a little bit.”

“A little presumptuous that I’m your fella without a proper date,” Bucky gasps, pretending to be scandalized. “I don’t kiss and tell, and I don’t put out before marriage, I cannot believe you Steven!”

“Ah, yes,” Steve smirks at the ploy, grabbing Bucky’s phone with a familiarity he doesn’t think that he’ll get over. “I must wine and dine first, tell me, would you like red or white?”

“You’re a cute one,” Bucky’s eyes widen, before he bursts into laughter as he sees the apples of Steve’s cheeks pink as he realizes how much the first flirty line he ever said affected him. “Aren’t you?”

“That’s dirty, Barnes,” Steve groans, covering his face with his hand. He shifts in bed, the blankets falling and revealing his torso which Bucky couldn’t help but trail his eyes down, biting his lip when he still sees those bruises that scatter across pale skin. “You’re going to send me into a cardiac arrest with the rate that you’re making my heart skip beats.” Their banter was disrupted by a knock on the door, and Steve flushes when he realizes as it opens that Sam was right outside, witnessing every piece of flirty tactic he could possibly throw at Bucky.

“I’m not going to ask,” Sam says, hands in the air with a smile. “I don’t want to know, Nat tells me enough already. Nice to meet you James, I’m Sam Wilson.” Bucky’s taken aback by the absolute beauty that Natalia has managed to keep from him, and as soon as the redhead pops her head through the door, his glare says it all. 

“We haven’t met before,” Bucky hums. “Which is interesting, since Natalia and I have been partners for years now, but it’s nice to meet you Sam.” He means no harm by his looking, and the faux hurt expression on Steve’s face leaves him chuckling as he pats his hand.

“Don’t worry, I’m all yours.” Bucky leans in, biting at Steve’s earlobe with a wink. “As long as you pay for a steak dinner. I like it medium-well.” Steve’s left flabbergasted at the absolute charisma that Bucky turns on and off, before shaking his head and burrowing under his blankets as best as he could, hiding the flush of his cheeks from everyone else in the room.

“We’ll be heading out anyway,” Sam shrugs. “Just wanted to check in on ol’ Glory over there, getting himself into another accident.” He clicks his tongue and leaves with Natalia, and Steve glances up at Bucky hopefully, his stomach growling.

“Can we get pizza now?”

“Yes. You’re paying, though.”


End file.
